German man wins right to walk naked in his garden

German man wins right to walk naked in his garden

It is a German’s inalienable right to walk to their own sauna naked, regardless of who might bear witness, the courts have found. A 42-year-old German man, named only as Robert B under German privacy laws, installed a private sauna in his garden in Dortmund.

Robert B liked to take his sauna naked, and didn’t cover up on his way to and from the house, despite being in view from the next door garden.

His neighbour, named only as Hans L, was sufficiently offended at the sight to seek legal redress, and initially won a court order for Robert B to cover up.

But Robert B appealed against the decision, and this week secured his right to parade around his garden in a state of undress. Hans L was persuaded to drop the case after the judge warned that he had no chance of winning.

“For me, this case comes down to the key phrase ‘naked in the garden’,” Judge Marc Brünnecke said.

“It is a question of how far one may feel disturbed. And how far I can interfere. We do not not see the boundaries of criminal and tort law exceeded here. We consider a sauna twice a week to be socially acceptable.”

The hearing saw Hans L testify about his neighbour’s personal grooming to prove he had seen him naked. He also told the court he had worried for his blueberries. read more at telegraph.co.uk